Tag: game night

Bohnanza, Smash Up and Pig Pen. Those are the three card games I played on Saturday night at Circle of Hope’s Monthly “2nd Saturday Game Night Extravaganza!!!!” I won in Bohnanza growing rows of beans-green beans were my cash crop. I won in Smash Up too with a group of Zombies and Pirates. I lost in pig pen despite having two buckets of super feed- but 2 out of three ain’t bad.

I only played 3 games because I was more interested in helping people connect and meeting new friends (my favorite thing to do). I was amazed at the diversity of people who were there. I was surprised that so many were there at all! Apparently there aren’t a lot of opportunities in the Philly area to play games, especially weird bean farming games like Bohnanza and unpublished indie games like Pig Pen. It was fun to make a space for community to be cultivated.

By the time I finished Bohnanza there were about 50 people there. There weren’t enough tables! I had to take the opportunity to tell them who we were. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to say when I called for everyone’s attention but this is essentially what came out. “Hey everybody I just want to welcome you, my name is Ben White, I’m one of the pastors here at Circle of Broad and Washington, the church that meets here in this space. We’re glad you’re here because we like to have fun. We want to share our joy and yeah, that’s it. Thanks for coming.”

I probably could have thought of something better but I had this sense of urgency that the opportunity needed to be taken. I wanted us to be known. I wanted our new friends to know that we liked board games and we liked them. I had to seize the opportunity to do that. Being a Jesus follower is kind of like these card games I was playing in that it’s often a lot about opportunity. The old adage, “You got to play the cards your dealt,” proves true in these newer card games, and in sharing the truth about Jesus. Having an elaborate long term strategy is a good way to lose, especially if you pass up present opportunities for a better one that only might come. If you’re with 50 people in a Circle of Hope space, it doesn’t matter that much what you say you got to make yourself known and share your joy.

So I’ll take another opportunity here on this blog: Jesus brings me great joy. He gives me a purpose that is hard enough to dedicate my life to it, but easy enough in the end to not be afraid to fail. He forgives me and provides me with a reason and a way to forgive others which clears the way for unhesitating connection and real community. He loves me enough down deep to help me be vulnerable in sharing my joy at all. I get excited about that and I want others to take the opportunity He is and receive all these things and more.